OctoFAQ

In the wild, this species of octopus averages around 110 pounds at maturity, with an arm span of about 16 feet - although much larger specimens have been recorded, making this species a contender for the title of world's largest octopus!

The giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) is widely distributed throughout the North Pacific. Ours have often come from the waters off Newport, often donated by crab fishermen who find them clinging to their crab pots.

We feed them fish, squid, and sometimes clams or mussels.

Yes, the venom is hazardous to both humans and marine life - hazardous, but not deadly to humans. The giant Pacific octopus's beak could certainly deliver a nasty wound; the venom if injected into the wound could slow down the healing process; and bacterial infection would always be concern, but deadly, not likely. Two other species of octopus - The Antarctic octopus and the blue-ringed octopus (found mainly off Australia and New Zealand) - do have venom that can be lethal to a human.

The octopus skin contains tiny pigments known as chromatophores which the animal can expand or contract to change colors and blend in with its surroundings. That gives it good camouflage when hunting for its food – or trying to avoid becoming somebody else's food! In the tank, we find that the octopus also changes color when it gets excited by something – such as dinner!

Mature males can be identified by the modified tip of their third arm on the right, called a hectocotylus, which is used in reproduction.

They lay eggs about the size of a grain of rice, and the baby octopuses are about that size when they hatch. One female can lay up to 100,000 eggs at a time, and will then protect them until she dies, but only a very few of the babies survive to become adult octopuses.

Typically for six months to one year. We try to release the octopus before it shows signs of senescence (old age). In females, that's when they start laying eggs; for males, it's when they show white around their eyes, develop white lesions or stop feeding. Giant Pacific octopuses live an average of 3-5 years.

We release the octopus into the ocean as soon as possible to give them a chance to mate, and we usually have a new octopus waiting in the Animal Husbandry wing.

They do! Our husbandry team goes to great lengths to provide our octopuses (we usually have one or two more behind the scenes) with enrichment of some sort every single day. At times, you might see a Mr. Potato Head (TM) disassembled in the tank, and we occasionally give the animals their food inside a plastic jar or toy so they can figure out how to open it and get a treat. It's amazing how quickly these creatures figure out puzzles presented to them. Finally, on a daily basis, someone on-staff is physically interacting with the octopus with gentle touches and strokes.

Yes, octopuses are nocturnal animals. The lights in and around the tank are dimmed at night, and when the tank is covered, it's actually quite dark inside - but our Webcam can "see" in the dark! It automatically switches to infrared mode when the lights go down. That's why the picture is less colorful at night (or when lots of visitors crowd around the tank during the daytime), and why the bubbles from the seawater pump are so visible then, too.

The octopus shares its tank with a variety of sea anemones - the same kinds of invertebrates found in its natural habitat.

Sea anemones have their own self-defense - their waving tentacles contain tiny stinging cells that deliver a mild shock-like sensation when the octopus touches them, which is enough to make the octopus leave them alone.

They're artificial, made from cast concrete with slots in them to allow seawater circulation. That prevents anoxic (low-oxygen) areas where harmful organisms might breed.

Getting a decent underwater view of the octopus tank can be quite a challenge. Our original octocam was placed inside the tank, which required building a special waterproof - and octopus-proof - housing, and a lot of trial and error learning to position the camera so it didn't block the seawater intake, didn't catch glare from the Visitor Center windows, etc.

Unfortunately, the housing developed leaks, and corrosion from the salt water put the camera out of commission. We also worried that it might put traces of metals and chemicals into the tank which could harm the octopus.

For this reason, we moved the camera out of the tank, in a visitor-proof housing. The camera lens is flush against the tank wall to minimize glare - but that also limits our ability to adjust the angle for the best view of the animal.

We'll keep tinkering, and our technical team has some ideas that could improve viewing. Meanwhile, it's still possible to see the octopus if you're persistent - and feeding time is always a good opportunity. Thanks for your patience!

Visitor contributions make it possible for us to create unique opportunities for science education - from exciting new exhibits such as the OctoCam to the Oregon Coast Quests program and our many classes and camps for young people and families. We encourage people to donate when they visit the Center or go to the Make a Gift section of our website.

The camera has infra-red capability that lets it continue to transmitting images even when light in and around the tank is low.

Octopuses are curious, smart - and strong. They're able to take apart even the smallest mechanical component, and seem to do so simply to entertain themselves. It was a challenge to come up with a housing that would protect the camera from the octopus - and vice-versa. Most commonly available hardware is made of metals that break down in seawater and could poison the octopus and his invertebrate tankmates.

So our OctoCam team had to get creative.They designed a special camera housing from a stainless steel electrical box, coated with a special marine-grade powder coating and bolted together with non-toxic nylon so the octopus couldn't take the camera apart. That worked well for the first few years of the Octocam, but seawater eventually seeped inside and corroded the camera, raising concerns about possible toxicity for the animals.

The camera was subsequently moved outside the tank and mounted with its lens flush to the wall to eliminate glare. Although pretty securely bolted in place, the camera housing sometimes serves as a tempting stepstool for very young visitors, and can get knocked off kilter. We try to monitor it and adjust the position and focus as necessary.

The other challenge is getting a camera angle that will allow visitors to see the octopus as often as possible without glare from the large windows and skylights in the area near the tank. We continue to tinker with the camera location to give you the best possible look at our resident octopus, so if you don't see the animal on this visit, please come back soon and try again.

The live stream is hosted by OSU Media Services in Corvallis. The camera's amazing popularity from the day it was launched initially pushed the system to its limits, but their team quickly responded by switching to a one-gigabit connection, increasing the server's capacity 10-fold and reducing the chance that high visitor load would overwhelm the servers.